The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-06-30
WHITE CAP KNIGHTS.
A REGULAR BAND OF MASKED VIGIL
LANTES IN INDIANA.


the Crime--Death for Serious Onende ers.
The White Caps are to Southern In,
diana what the Bald Knobbers were to
Missouri. Not SO desperate in characte,
as the latter, their organization is idon-
tical and they have equally set law at
defiance.
The headquarters of the White Caps
are in Harrison county, Indiana, but the
organization extends over into Crawford,
Jefferson and half dozen other coun-
ties in the oldest civilization of the
State.
There is not q more Intelligent, peace
able or orderly community in Indiana
than Harrison county. Corydon, tie
county seat, was the first capital of the
State, and its courthouse, built in 1911,
was for four years its capitol. The
country is rich and schools and churches
abound. A branch railroad has been
built to Corydon, and it's citizens are
prominent in State and nation.
In spite of all this, the White Caps,
or "Knights of the Switch" as they are
sometimes called, have existed for seven
teen years. The courts have been set
at defiance, iails have been opened and
prisoners liberated or punished. Men,
women and children have been DRAGGED
out of bed at dead o. night, and their
homes burned before their eyes, while
thoy themselves have been whipped,
tortured with fcndish ingenuity and
made to flee tho country.
Like the Bald Knobbers, the pro-
fessed motive Of the White Caps is the
punishment of crimo moro swiftly and
tittingly than can be accomplished in
the courts. For this reason there has
been little outcry against them, and even
when public indignation has been
aroused by some unusually hagrant act,
nothing has been accomplished.
The identity Of White Caps has been
revealed time and again, but not one has
ever been brought to punishment. There
have been many attempts by grand iuries
to indict the offenders, but SO far they
have been Ineffective. For years AMI
years hardly q circuit court is held in
Harrison county that tho jury is not in
structed to investigate some case Of re-
cent occurrence, but White Caps arc on
the jury and in the court room, and
nothing has ever been discovered in this
way.
There have been but few confessions
of membership; but one of these furn-
ishes information of the regular nature
of the organization. Tho White Caps,
or "Knights," are organized with regu-
lar lodges. There are signs, grips and
pass words-crude, of course, but
sufficient for the recognition of and for
communication between members. They
meet at appointed places, but not often
at the same place, and but seldom in u
house. Secluded groves are their favor
ite resorts, and here they assemble upon
notification of the leader of the lodge.
Councils are held, expeditions determ-
ined upon and punishments inflicted.
The sign for the assembling Of these
'lodges' is the laying of crossed fence
rails in the middle of the road.
The earliest known band Of this or
ganization was in Scott township, Har-
rison county, seventeen years ago.
James n. Kean, q small farmer, accused
of petty thievery, was tied to tree and
severely whipped. He was their first
victim, but cases were frequent after
that.
OF late the White Caps have been very
active. The latest outbreak was in
Jefferson county, two miles from the
small village of Brooksburg. A band of
masked men last Friday night broke into
the farmhouse of Stout Bronson, dragged
him from bed with his wife and child,
removed the furniture from the rooms,
burned the dwelling and quietly disap-
peared. Neither Bronson nor his neigh
bors can assign any reason for the out
rage, but it is supposed the White Caps
were headed by personal enemy. That
the party was from the organization was
shown by their wearing the white masks
which have given their name.
The Knights were guilty ten days ago
of serious offence. At midnight q
band of somo twelve or fifteen white
masks visited the house of Jos. Lynch,
q farmer who lives near Lcavcnworth.
They broke in the doors, seized Lynch
and his wife, entered the room where
slept his daughter Mary with her three
brothers and dragged the whole party
into the front yard. The two younger
boys broke loose and fled into the
bushes.
Five meubheld Lynch and the older
boy, and the remainder whipped the two
women with stout hickory switches.
They mounted their horses when
sufficient punishment had been inflicted
and quietly rode away.
The home of Lynch was visited and
ms wife was found at work laying rail
fence In front Of the house. Her boys
were around the house, and Mary got
up out OF bed to stare at the unaccns-
toned visitor. Very shabbily dressed
were al. Mr.. Lynch was at work at a
nelghbor's, and his wife was SO FRIGHT.
ened that she trembled from head to FOOT
when questioned, thinking the reporte,
was ono of the knights. A'p'N W.
She said the Gaps had been tboro q
week ago and whipped her and Mo No
but she couldn't remember anvthinJJ @
When any trouble came her heat 8 hn88i
so fast that it choked her and sbe GI fn1
down like dead, and that was the 11oL 1o1
with her that night. She was oyidentiS
afraid to tell anything, but after Io%S
persuasion made the following state
ment:
GIVE lived here all my life, nnd bo
long to good people, but I've had o hart
time. Ar. Lynch owns farm and II
get this place from my mother. We'v,
Il Ii 4 -.